Yard waste removal has long been a task completed by homeowners all over the world. In many areas, yard waste, such as leaves and grass clippings, is considered to be recyclable material and is therefore directed to compost facilities. Many cities and municipalities will dispose of yard waste separately than normal trash for recycling. However, the yard waste is typically required to be stored in a special waste collection bag for pickup. Hardware and convenience stores generally sell paper yard waste collection bags that are compliant with the regulations governing such disposal and recycling of yard waste. When using these paper yard waste collection bags, several problems and annoyances come to light. Just as any waste bag, these paper yard waste collection bags are difficult to open and to hold open during waste collection and deposit into the bag.
There are many existing apparatuses for aiding in the management of waste collection bags. Some of these are described in detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,296,212 to Monahan, 6,131,861 to Fortier et al., 5,857,722 to Ayotte, and 5,924,657 to Bach. The apparatuses disclosed by Monahan, Fortier, Ayotte, and Bach each has deficiencies. Monahan discloses a flexible flat device that forms an arc to hold open a lawn bag in a horizontal direction when flexed and placed inside the lawn bag. The lawn bag is typically laid on the ground and the waste is swept into the bag. Further, the device disclosed in Monahan is large by nature cannot be conveniently stored when not in use. In addition, the device disclosed in Monahan is made with a material that does not comply with common recycling regulations.
Fortier discloses an apparatus that holds a cylindrical bag in a vertical position, and can be moved using a vertical member having a handle and two wheels. The device in Fortier does not guarantee that the lawn bag is forced completely open, thereby forcing a user to place an object into the inside of the bag to spread out the bag for filling. Also, the wind will cause the hanging bag to move at the bottom making it more difficult to fill the bag.
Ayotte discloses a device having a rigid frame that holds a lawn bag in an upright open position. The device is stabilized by driving legs that attach the device into the ground.
Fortier, Ayotte, and Bach each disclose devices that are not suitable to be used with the common paper waste collection bags. These devices are intended for use with cylindrical plastic bags, and do not themselves comply with common recycling regulations. Further, the devices disclosed by Fortier and Ayotte are relatively expensive and require significant storage space. Thus, there remains a need for an apparatus to aid in the management of paper waste collection bags that is recyclable, requires a minimum amount of storage space, and is inexpensive.